Planeswalker Academy
by Tay M. Alexiel
Summary: AU - The planeswalkers have enrolled in the Academy in order to hone their powers as planeswalkers. However, there are more surprises than expected – including more planeswalkers than anticipated. Among them, a talented elf named Artyriel Espelhart, a slippery human named Kyanostan Miroslav, a demoness lord named Kilya Idaruth and a sentient golem named Theoban Ekkebert.
1. Chapter 1

**Planeswalker Academy **

**Chapter I: **The Academy ( for the Gifted and Talented )

Jace stretched his arms above his head, looking up from his reading material and to the clock by his bed. His roommate Theoban Ekkebert hadn't returned yet which was odd to Jace. Theo was usually very punctual when he was given a deadline such as curfew. However, why should Jace care about what his roommate did on the weekends? As long as it didn't affect him, why should he care?

Raised voices caught the mages' ear and an eyebrow popped up as he heard Theo's calm, deep voice echo in the hallway.

"Don't worry," he heard Theo say.

"DON'T WORRY?!" the feminine voice conversing with Theo gasped. "HOW CAN I NOT WORRY?!"

"We'll find the culprit," Theo said.

"You better! That's a really important book!" Stomping footsteps and Jace heard the key scrape into the lock and the door opened to reveal a tired Theo. The man inhaled as he entered into the room, let the door close and flopped onto his bed.

"Long day?" Jace asked, rather uninterested as he returned to reading.

"You bet…" Theo muttered into his pillow. "Ayako lost her spell book and she's blaming Gideon for a prank." Theo groaned, flipping onto his back.

Jace rolled his eyes. Ayako was another sorcereress – and fellow classmate – whose book was her best friend. He personally didn't want to be tied down to something so trivial. If he could memorize his spells, the all the better.

"Oh! That reminds me!" Theo suddenly said, sitting up and looked at Jace.

When Theo's gaze didn't waver, Jace shivered and finally looked at his roommate. "What?" he asked, entertaining Theo's gaze.

"There's a cute new girl on campus," Theo smiled.

"And I care because…?"

"She's rooming with Kilya."

Jace's mind went blank for a moment. Kilya? The demoness lord that seemed to be in competition with Sorin? Sighing, Jace pushed the thoughts of Sorin from his mind. The vampire had made several passes at him, and those memories weren't the best for Jace. "What's her name?" Jace groaned as he realized what Theo was planning.

"Artyriel Espelhart."

"Am I supposed to know that name?" asked Jace, irritated with his roommate.

"Uh… yeah." Incredulous, Theo narrowed his eyes at his roommate. "She's the newest addition to the Academy because she's a prodigy."

"Prodigy, huh?" Jace returned to his reading material, determined to ignore Theo for the rest of the night.

"Oh. Though I doubt you'd be interested, there's going to be a dance soon. Everyone is expected to go for at least one hour."

Rolling his eyes, Jace remembered that Theo was on the Planning Committee and it was his job come up with activities for the Academy to host.

"Everyone should have a partner. You should ask Artyriel to go with you," Theo said as he changed into his pajamas.

"Not on your life…" Jace muttered, only half paying attention.

"I won't bet that," Theo said and crawled into bed. "You should get some sleep. It is Sunday tomorrow, but I suggest getting some sleep. I have a feeling that tomorrow… you'll need all the strength you have."

"Uh-huh," Jace agreed, rather sarcastically. "And what makes you say that?"

However, Theo had turned over and didn't answer.

Sighing, Jace retired for the night as well. His dreams didn't bode well and he was reminded of what Theo had said when he awoke with a start. Yet, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember the dream that had made his blood go cold and his mind numb. He woke several times writhing in the sheets. Finally, he woke Theo by shaking the boy's shoulder.

"Do you have any sleeping medicine?"

Theo nodded, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "What? Can't turn your brain off? Sure. I'll get you some." He stood and walked to his closest where he pulled a box down and began to rummage through the contents. At last, he pulled out a bottle. "Here. Take some of this. It will help you sleep. I'll get you up if you sleep through your alarm. Be careful, this stuff is really strong," he cautioned as Jace took the bottle.

The liquid smelled of lavender, honey and vanilla; a rather odd combination that made Jace's eye twitch. Finally, he took a swig and swallowed. Handing the bottle back to Theo, Jace felt the effects almost as soon as he lay down on his bed. He was out in moments and Theo smiled as he replaced the cap and retuned the box to its place in the shelf. Then he went back to bed as well. Shutting down his brain, Theo returned to sleep.

A shadow in the window watched as the two boys fell into slumber and darted from the windowsill as soon as it was sure it wouldn't be detected. Jace usually had a barrier up to protect against night intruders. He may have been too tired to do it, however.

"What did you learn?" a feminine voice asked as the shadow appeared on a different sill.

The shadow communicated via telepathy and the girl smiled. "A dance, huh?" The girl giggled, placing a delicate hand to her lips.

"Anything on my book?" a second voice asked.

"No."

"Damn."

"You should head off to bed."

The second girl rolled her eyes and inhaled. "Okay, fine."

"Thank you for your help," the first girl said to the shadow and the shadow turned and lept from the sill into the night. "Tomorrow will be interesting indeed."

A knock came at the girls' door and the first girl answered, pulling the wooden plank back slightly to see who was there. In the hallway stood the newest addition to the Academy, Artyriel Espelhart.

"How can I help you?"

"I wished to ask for your assistance, Ms. Vess," Artyriel said, her voice soft and formal.

"Please call me Liliana," the girl said, her interest growing. "And how can I help you?"

"I wished to ask for the notes in the classes we will be attending together."

"There's only a few hours until the classes begin," Liliana muttered, eying Artyriel. "Can you learn the material in that amount of time?"

"I came from a different school, so the material should be near the same," Artyriel smiled. "I do not like to brag, but I have a good memory as well."

"…Sure. Come in," Liliana invited the other girl in and walked to her desk where she pulled out her notebooks and turned back to Artyriel. The girl was clearly an elf; her pointed ears and pale blond hair giving her race away. She was dressed in casual clothes that suggested she had already moved in. "What's it like?" Liliana asked as she approached the other girl.

"What is what like?" Artyriel asked, curious. It was clear she didn't understand that Liliana had been Kilya's roommate the year before. Obviously, the two didn't get along.

"Living with Kilya?"

Artyriel furrowed her eyebrows and thought a moment. "Living with Ms. Kilya has not posed any problems so far," she said after a few seconds silence.

Liliana took a mental note and held out the notebooks to Artyriel. "Here ya go."

"Thank you!" Artyriel's smile was genuine and it made Liliana flush a little. Though Liliana had vowed to hate "the light," it was proving to be harder than first suspected. This girl was too cute to hate. And, a gut feeling told Liliana that this elf wasn't purely "light."

"Sleep well," Liliana said as she made to close the door.

"You as well, Ms. Liliana," Artyriel grinned as she backed out of the room.

Liliana closed the door and stood a moment, processing the situation. Then, when she determined it was too much to think about with the little night left, she changed into her pajamas and got into bed. She fell asleep once she heard the clock strike three and Ayako's calm and deep breathing.


	2. Chapter 2

**Planeswalker Academy**

**Chapter II**: Introductions

Artyriel awoke with a light flutter of her eyes. She'd been conscious long before her roommate had begun to move about, but she'd been too lethargic to move or care. Now, Kilya was moving towards her side of the room.

"Art!" Kilya called. "Time to get up!"

Out of courtesy, Kilya had remained behind the curtain and Artyriel noticed and appreciated that. Moaning and sitting up so her feet swung over the bedside, Artyriel stretched. "When are you going?"

"To what?" Kilya asked, shouting from her side of the room.

"Breakfast."

"Oh." A moment's pause while clothing rustled. "Soonish?"

"Good. That gives me time to change clothes and go with you."

"Why would you want to go with me?" Kilya asked after another moments' pause as buttons snapped into place.

"Why would I not want to go with you? One, you are my roommate. Two, you know the campus. Three, you always look so lonely." Artyriel gasped as she said the third reason, a hand clamping to her lips. "I am sorry, Ms Kilya. I didn't mean it like that…"

"Its fine," Kilya sighed, "because it's true." She sat down on her bed and began to pull her boots up her calves. She heard clothing rustle from Artyriel's side of the room and then snaps followed by a zipper and a final, louder snap.

"Ready?" Kilya asked. She walked out from behind the curtain and looked towards the other side of the room. Kilya was wearing a black and red dress under a corset. The dress was black on the top half and faded into red and black roses by the skirt hem by her knees. The corset matched the roses and fit well against her figure. High-heeled black boots rose to just below her knee, showing off a little bit of skin. Her black hair she had tied up in a braided bun. She walked to the door and swung a cloak across her shoulders. "I'll leave you behind…" she called, and turned crimson eyes to see Artyriel appear from behind her curtain.

Though Kilya wasn't a lesbian, she would definitely be bisexual for Artyriel. It might be that the elf was just trying to impress the Academy, but Kilya's gut told her that she was just very formal. Artyriel was wearing what looked like a navy roman goddess dress over a black, flowing long sleeved shirt. The dress had one shoulder and from that sprouted a long cape-like attachment. The dress's embroidered hem reached the elf's mid-shin. Her shoes were black, lace-up boots with a slight heel. A necklace could be seen across her neck; a silver vine wrapping a lapis lazuli blue rose on a black thread hung to her collarbone. Her emerald eyes remained blank as she smiled at Kilya. She looked like a dark goddess of beauty.

Kilya stood in awe as Artyriel walked up beside her, wrapped a black cloak around her shoulders and looked at her roommate. When the cloak covered her body, the dark light that she seemed to radiate left as well. "Ready?"

Nodding but still in awe, Kilya opened the door and the two began to walk towards the dining hall.

Artyriel looked around with wonder. This Academy was very different than her old school. The time was around 7 in the morning and very few people were up and moving about the main halls. The paintings that lined the hallway walls were mostly landscapes and still-life portraits. The walls themselves looked like they'd been pulled from an ancient ruin, though in much better shape.

Turning her head to face center, Artyriel noticed she was being stared at.

"Is something wrong?" Kilya asked, her eyes looked at Artyriel out of the corners of their sockets.

"Yes… People are staring…" Artyriel wasn't used to this kind of attention. Nor had she heard so many attempts to read her mind.

"Don't mind them," Kilya said as they continued on their way towards breakfast, "they just aren't sure who you are and why you are so nicely dressed."

"Really? Back in Westerwolf, all the students had to dress professionally." Artyriel hid the shiver that ran down her spine at the recollection of her old school as best she could.

"That would explain a lot," Kilya muttered. However, before Artyriel could clarify what Kilya meant, they reached the dining hall. The doors opened automatically and Kilya walked in, followed by a more timid Artyriel.

Since noticing how much attention she was drawing, Kilya observed Artyriel had become more like a shadow; silent and swift. Slightly timid as well; not wanting to encroach on the light…

"Don't worry!" Kilya said, swinging an arm around Artyriels' shoulders. "They'll get used to you as you get used to the Academy."

"Sure," Artyriel said, smiling with the courage Kilya had given her. Kilya unhanded her and moved towards a table with several people already seated at it. Following, Artyriel took notice that Liliana was there.

Liliana looked up as she heard her old roommate call to Theo. She spotted Kilya and was about to turn back to her food, intent on ignoring her old friend, but Artyriel, who was behind Kilya, caught her attention. Something seemed off about her… and it wasn't just the clothes.

"Good morning, Artyriel," Liliana greeted as the elf sat down across from her.

"Good morning, Ms Liliana." Artyriel returned the greeting and smiled with her pearly teeth. Liliana couldn't help noticing some of her teeth were sharper than others. "And please, you may call me Art."

"Are we on a friendly basis now?" Liliana asked, glancing at Kilya.

The demoness lord was eating some eggs off her plate rather daintily, causing a disgusted look to cross Liliana's face for a brief moment.

"I do not see why we cannot," Artyriel said, her smile dwindling as she noticed Liliana's look at Kilya. "Is something wrong?"

"Huh? No… Nothing." Liliana's smile did nothing to ease the tension in Artyriel's heart.

"Good morning!" A sing-songy voice called to the group and Ayako walked up.

"When did you become conscious?" Liliana asked, her voice rather sarcastic than funny.

"A few minutes ago. And I found my book!" She held the volume close to her chest.

"Oh?" Theo asked, looking up from his conversation with Kilya and a red-haired girl. "Where was it?"

"Oh! It's such a funny story!" Ayako sat down at the table by a rather gloomy-looking boy, across from Kilya. The boy rolled his eyes and stood, grabbed his plate and moved away to sit next to Artyriel.

"I can't stand her when she's on a 'funny story'… it always makes me gag," he muttered as he poured himself a new drink.

"Is something the matter?" Artyriel asked, confused and curious.

"This isn't something new," Liliana scowled. "Ayako is very protective of her book and tries to put the blame on other people when she's at fault. However… she is really good at manipulation… so those of weaker minds believe her stories rather easily."

"That is unfortunate to hear," Artyriel said, picking up her knife and beginning to cut into the sausage on her plate.

The boy, still rather gloomy, looked up at Liliana, then turned to look at Artyriel. "Who are you?" he asked, suddenly on guard. Artyriel felt the sensation that meant someone was trying to tap into her thoughts and she deduced this boy was a mage.

"My name is Artyriel Espelhart. I am a transfer student from Westerwolf Academy of Sciences." She smiled as she bowed her head in greeting and respect. However, her gaze did not leave the boy's face, though it was hidden under a hood. "May I ask of your name?"

"Jace. Jace Beleren." Though his body relaxed, Artyriel though she saw a glimmer of confusion in the boys' eyes as the tapping sensation ceased.

"Please to meet you, Mr Beleren."

"Dear Lord, call me Jace," he said, rolling his eyes and exhaling with a rather annoyed airstream.

"Very well, Mr Jace."

When Jace opened his mouth to argue once again, Liliana cleared her throat. "It's just the way she is. She calls me Ms Liliana. I assume it has something to do with her upbringing." The enchantress smiled at the elf and Artyriel nodded back, thankful for the break.

A silence fell over the table as people returned to their breakfast. It was a Sunday, so most logical people were still sleeping; recovering after a hard night of partying.

A boom followed by several crashes and a crack echoed in the dining hall. Artyriel was instantly on her feet, her stance suggesting she was ready for battle.

"Oh dear. Don't worry about that. That's just the headmaster."


	3. Chapter 3

**Planeswalker Academy**

**Chapter III**: Cursed?

"The headmaster?" Artyriel asked Liliana, still on guard. Her hands had moved to be level with her hips, elbows bent and her face turned to the slight left. She was still looking in the general direction of the door, though Jace could feel she was spreading a net of energy to find out what was going on. If she could spread a net of energy to the degree he was sensing, she must have a large reservoir of mana.

"Yeah. His name's Nicol Bolas. You didn't know this?" The red-haired girl from Theo and Kilya's conversation looked at Artyriel with cold eyes, still chewing at her meat slab.

"This _is_ my first day here," Artyriel responded, returning the cold glare and her words dripping venom. Then, another crash made the elf turn her eyes back to the doors.

"Chandra…" Kilya said with warning as the girl made to respond. "Don't start a fight with the new girl."

"But she's strong!" Chandra whined. "I wanna test her strength."

"Later," Theo interrupted. "For now, let's focus on breakfast…" He paused, then looked at Artyriel. "I'm sure other people are already there. We shouldn't crowd the headmaster, especially if he's angry…"

The table nodded in agreement.

"You don't need to stand there like that forever," Liliana scoffed at Artyriel and the elf murmured something about feeling sick and began to make her way towards the dining hall doors.

"Did she eat anything?" Kilya asked Liliana and Jace as Artyriel exited the hall.

"I don't think so…" Liliana said slowly.

"I'll take her something later." The two girls looked at Jace, surprise on their faces. It wasn't like the boy to be so… caring; especially for a newcomer to the group.

"Y-You sure?" Kilya asked.

"Do you know what she likes?" Jace asked in return, ignoring Kilya's question.

Kilya shook her head. "This is the first meal she's had here and I don't think she's eaten anything for a day… maybe more…"

"Why do you care, Jace?" Chandra asked, taking another chunk out of the meat slab she was working on.

"I couldn't see her thoughts," Jace answered, a quiet tone in his voice as if he didn't want anyone to know. However, only Liliana and Kilya heard him. They looked at each other, confused, then realized who they were looking at and huffed, looking away. "And I want to know why I couldn't," Jace finished.

"I'll let you into our room later," Kilya offered. "Just let me know when you want to stop by."

Jace nodded and stood, taking his leave. In truth, he wanted to follow Artyriel and find out the answers to his questions now, but a gut feeling told him to wait. Instead, he reached the doors and looked about for the elf. He saw her stumbling towards the front doors of the Academy and the headmaster was nowhere to be seen.

Making his way towards Artyriel, Jace noticed a black line running up the side of the elf's neck. It looked like a vein, pulsating and moving with each movement Artyriel made.

"You okay?" he asked, trying to sound unsympathetic to Artyriel's condition.

His sudden appearance caught the elf by surprise and she physically jumped, her eyes widening more than they already were. It took her a moment of holding onto the wall to calm down. When her breathing was slower, Jace asked his question again.

"No. I am not okay." Artyriel looked close to tears as she looked at Jace. "It is getting stronger."

"What is? What's getting stronger?" Jace asked, but as the girl opened her mouth to answer, blood crept out of the corner of her lips and her eyes closed, falling towards Jace as she fainted. Unable to just let her fall, Jace caught her. Upon touching her body, he was instantly hit by a nauseating amount of powerful magic.

Shaking the feeling away with his own mind, Jace picked the elf up and began to carry her towards his room. Though Theo would not approve, he had no choice. He didn't trust the school medic as far as he could physically throw the bastard and the headmaster was probably away from the campus at the moment... or unreachable at this moment in time.

He reached his door and lowered Artyriel to the ground, searching his pockets for his keys. He found them, opened the door and picked the elf back up. He closed the door with his foot after he'd entered and laid the elf on his bed. She was shivering, her breathing heavy and a cold sweat appearing on her brow.

Tucking a stray lock of pale blond hair behind a pointed ear, Jace took a moment to mentally note all the symptoms the elf was displaying, then moved to the cabinet Theo kept the general medicine in and began to look for a sleeping liquid.

"No…"

Jace looked back to his bed as Artyriel spoke. She seemed to be having a nightmare; her eyelids fluttered with fright and she moaned, moving as if tied down to something.

Then, Jace noticed it. The black vein on her neck he had noticed in the hall was turning closer to branch; there was a thick, main vein and smaller offshoots. It also seemed to be flowing in a direction; away from her torso and towards her head.

Though he was hesitant to touch her again, Jace moved towards Artyriel and traced the black vein on her neck and watched for a reaction. To his surprise, the elf shuddered and calmed down a bit. He traced the vein again; the black skin was raised and thin so it felt like a literal vein of onyx. The elf shuddered and scrunched her eyes in pain. The vein grew thicker.

Wanting to know what the source was, Jace pulled at Artyriels' clothing, trying to find the point of origin of the black vein. However, he couldn't see it… he would need to undress Artyriel all the way… Rolling his eyes, Jace decided against it and returned to the box to find the sleeping medicine. He dug in the box until he found the bottle.

"Where…?!"

The mage turned to see the elf was awake, sitting up and looking rather frantic.

"You are in my room," Jace said, picking up the sleeping medicine and walking towards the elf. "You fainted and I brought you here. I don't trust the school medic beyond how far I can toss him."

"I-I see…" Artyriel's body relaxed, but Jace heard a thought escape her mind: "_Thank goodness_."

"What happened to you?" the boy asked as he poured a small cup of the medicine and filled the rest of the cup with water.

"I am cursed," the elf said with a rather nonchalant tone. "It is hard at times, but I can usually deal with it."

"Cursed?" Jace asked. "How?"

To his surprise, Artyriel began to pull her sleeves from her shoulders and undress her shoulders. Most of the curves were covered in a black, vine-like tattoo that stretched onto her back and her chest. Then, she tugged the sheets off her legs and pulled her dress hem off her legs and revealed more of the black tattoo. "This is how I am cursed."


End file.
